This is kind of cool. The Government Accountability Office footnoted Parabolic Arc in its decision to deny Blue Origin’s protest concerning the privatization of launch Pad 39A. I think it’s the first time we’ve been cited in a government report. Woo-hoo!

Credit: GAO

And while we’re on the topic, check out this bit of sarcasm from NASA that GAO quoted about its potential future need for “flux capacitors and warp drives.”

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Wow that is awesome! Definitely poking fun at Blue Origins and there non existant rockets. Tho it would be nice to have SpaceX and Bule Oringins in heated competion. I think that would have a great effect on the price of launches.

Moonandback Guy

Solid journalism + well thought out opinion = recognition. Congrats!

Michael Vaicaitis

Douglas, Congratulations on the deserved recognition.

Chad, I might be proved wrong, perhaps I am allowing myself to believe too much in the idealistic intentions of SpaceX, but I don’t think that competition will be what drives their pricing; at least not for the next couple of decades. I believe, that is, I hope, that their pricing relates only to their ideals and ambitions, not their greed. A case of capitalism superceded by hopes, dreams and good intentions, where profits are the mechanism of fulfilling those Martian and space faring ambitions rather than for the creation of financial wealth.

Douglas Messier

Actually, this was a response to the GAO. A large part of the 12-page decision was given over to a discussion of why GAO was empowered to hear the appeal. NASA was arguing that GAO should not hear a protest from Blue Origin at that stage of the process. The proper time for a protest would be after the decision was made based on the merits of how NASA decided and what had been proposed. That was NASA’s argument; GAO disagreed.

It was a bit of a dry technical argument over jurisdiction. Since it didn’t seem to have affected the decision, I didn’t go into it.

therealdmt

Nobody mess with the Messier! Now you’ve reach the big time, Doug….

Whatwaswas

And congrats to you, Douglas!

Beaumont

Cheers! As another Web Entrepreneur, I can well imagine the ‘Woo-hoo!” — if you’re doing it right, keep on going…. I know I’ll continue to be here every morning!